Studio Art

What is an Exhibition Catalog?

An exhibition catalog is a printed publication (usually a book) focused on a temporary exhibition or installation at a gallery or museum. It documents the contents of an exhibition, providing a forum for critical dialog between curators, artists and critics. Artists and art experts alike contribute to these books and therefore they are very helpful for researching an artist or art genres. 

Tip #1: To find exhibition catalogs for individual artists, include the word "exhibition" with the name of the artist for your search terms.

Tip #2: And don't forget, InterLibrary Loan (ILL) allows you to order books through the mail (FOR FREE) for anything we might not have in our own library's collection. You can login below or, if you've never used InterLibrary Loan, you can set up an account by clicking "First Time Users."

Search Olin and libraries worldwide with Worldcat Local:

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WorldCat gives you access to millions of titles in more than 9,000 libraries around the world!

Here are a few pointers when using WorldCat:

1. WorldCat includes more than just books, so if you are interested in books only, limit your search to just books. 

2. To find exhibition catalogues for individual artists search for the word "exhibitions" as a subject and the name of the artist as a title or keyword.

3. You can use interlibrary loan to request the books you find in other libraries. BUT make sure there is enough time before the assignment is due for the book to be delivered to you via the Olin Library!

You can also search millions of books, magazines, and newspapers digitized through the Google Books project.  Levels of access depend on copyright status and publisher permissions--so you may find a citation, snippet, limited view, or full text.  Best used for electronic access to books in the public domain (i.e., works published before 1924).

The below books from the three-part exhibition catalog series Art for Rollins analyze and explain the art and artists from the Alfond Contemporary Art Collection here at Rollins.

You can check out print copies or access the book online HERE.